Men's Basketball

Flop or Flagrant Foul: Immanuel Quickley and Yves Pons

Published

4 years ago

February 9, 2020

For the first time ever, I attended Thompson-Boling Arena yesterday for the Kentucky vs. Tennessee game. The arena is nice, the fans I sat around were nice, and the game was fun. Some drunk Vol fans were chanting “f*** Kentucky!” and talking trash about Lexington when we left, but otherwise, it was a fun experience.

One thing that has been consistently terrible in college basketball this season, well other than North Carolina, is college officials.

I didn’t think they were terrible in yesterday’s slate of games, but there were two egregious no-calls. One in the UT/UK game and one in the Duke/UNC game. One cost a team the game, the other didn’t, but one was much worse than the other.

I didn’t see the play happen live, all I saw was Immanuel Quickley lying on the ground and he appeared to be unconscious because he wasn’t moving. The refs didn’t even blow the play dead and finally John Calipari got the refs attention and walked out onto the floor. The refs wouldn’t let him on the floor at first but Cal won the battle as he walked out with Vol fans erupting in boo’s.

Should they have stopped play? Yes. Kentucky had possession and the ref was literally right there when it happened. Instead, all he did was shake his head.

I woke up this morning to see a lot of fans suggesting that Quickley flopped and that it was a good no-call. I couldn’t believe it. So let’s break it down.

Dude is moving and lowers his shoulder

And all the official does is shake his head.

Absurd https://t.co/8D19kcbKRO— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 8, 2020

Quickley isn’t even looking

It’s pretty clear that Kentucky is running a play to get Quickley open. No one else is moving besides him and Keion Brooks is setting a screen for him.

The thing that makes this even weirder is that Tennessee is on defense. Why on earth is Pon trying to set a screen? If he is simply trying to keep Quickley from running the baseline, this isn’t the legal way to do it.

Not set and leans in

If you watch the video closely, Pons isn’t close to set. He’s moving before he gets in front of Quickley and he clearly leans his shoulder in Quickley’s direction before they make contact.

I know one photo doesn’t do the play justice, but here’s the moment of impact.

Shoulder

I pretty much already stated this above, but I need to emphasize it a little more. Pons clearly sticks his shoulder out toward Quickley before they make contact. I wouldn’t really have a problem if he just moved laterally to get in front of him, but he clearly swings his shoulder at Quickley, making it even worse, and a dirty play.

The Ref

To cap it all off, there’s a ref standing right there and he does nothing. In the background, Nick Richards sees the play and goes nuts, the refs simply shakes his head, suggesting there’s nothing. I don’t know how you can see that in live action and do nothing.

Flagrant Two

This is clearly a Flagrant Two foul and Pons should’ve been thrown out of the game. He swung his shoulder at Quickley and made contact above the shoulder area. The play was completely unnecessary and wasn’t anywhere near the ball. Like I said, it looked like Quickley got knocked out because he went to the ground and didn’t move and was there for a lengthy amount of time.

For the ref not to even blow his whistle is absurd. There’s no way that’s a clean play in basketball. I would go as far as saying the ref should be suspended. He watches the play, doesn’t blow his whistle, shakes his head, and doesn’t stop play for an injured player on the team with possession of the ball (the rule).

After the game, Quickley tweeted this:

We out here playing football 😂😂 https://t.co/H5s5qKJXwy— Immanuel Jaylen Quickley (@IQ_GodSon) February 8, 2020

And to make it even better, the blind mouse that missed that made this call:

They called this a foul on Sestina https://t.co/HkNgZfNUXD— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) February 8, 2020

Don’t get me wrong, the refs made some bad calls on both teams. But, like I said above, unless your a homer who hates UK, this is an obvious foul call and an ejectable foul. No way is this a play on.

Thanks SEC refs.

Related Topics:Immanuel Quickley Kentucky Tennessee

BB Recruiting

Wake Forest Transfer Andrew Carr Commits to Kentucky

Published

8 hours ago

April 28, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr has committed to play for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats.

David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

After finalizing all but one member of the staff last week, including the official announcements of top recruiters Alvin Brooks and Jason Hart, the Kentucky Wildcats have received their third commitment in as many days.

“BOOM!” Kentucky assistant Cody Fueger tweeted out on Sunday afternoon. Just hours later, Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr announced his commitment to Kentucky.

Carr is ranked as the 75th-best transfer by ESPN.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andrew Carr (@andrewpcarr)

Carr began his college career at Delaware, where his father and uncle both played. After two seasons, he elected to transfer to Wake Forest, where started in all 68 games. This past season, Carr was the star big man of a Demon Deacon team that won 20+ games for just the second time over the last decade.

This past season, Carr averaged career-highs in points at 13.5 per game, and rebounds at 6.8 per game. Doing so on 53% shooting from the field and 37% from deep. Per KenPom, he played primarily at the 4 spot and occasionally logged minutes at the 5, so he can play alongside Amari Williams as a stretch big. It is worth noting that Kentucky is also hosting Utah State transfer big Great Osobor for a three-day visit, alongside his family.

While Carr is experienced, his NCAA Tournament experience is limited. Playing just one tournament game, a 20-point loss to a 2-seeded Villanova team in 2022.

Watch a breakdown of the newest Wildcat below.

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

BB Recruiting

Top 25 Transfer Otega Oweh Commits to Kentucky

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2024

Tristan Pharis

Oklahoma Sooners transfer Otega Oweh has comitted to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Following Lamont Butler’s commitment to Kentucky on Friday, the Wildcats have received another commitment less than 24 hours later. This time Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh, he announced on his social media.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by To God Be The Glory💕 (@otegaoweh)

This comes after Oweh visited Lexington earlier this week, with reports coming out that his recruitment could be wrapped up quickly after.

Oweh is a top 25 transfer according to 247Sports, 38th by EvanMiya, and 55th by ESPN. Listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, Oweh is a strong and physical guard. His strength and athleticism have been a strength dating back to high school, which allows him to impact the game defensively, and also to get to the rim and thrive in transition opportunities.

In two years at Oklahoma, the area that Oweh has significantly improved in has been his shooting. As a freshman, he shot just 25 percent from three, on just four attempts for the season, to 37.7 percent as a sophomore, making 20 of his 53 attempts. Most of that success comes from catch-and-shoot opportunities, where he rates in the 87th percentile. His ability to shoot off the dribble is the polar opposite, rating in just the 4th percentile.

Oweh is a two-way player with two years of eligibility remaining, while he will bring experience, there is still room for development with NBA upside. While he may not be a primary option, he’s certainly a player that can impact the game.

Oweh is now Kentucky’s third addition from the transfer portal and sixth player overall. A handful of top transfers are visiting, or currently visiting, Kentucky this weekend. The staff is hopeful a few join the roster.

BB Recruiting

REPORT: San Diego State Transfer Lamont Butler Commits to Kentucky

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

Tristan Pharis

San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler has committed to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Amidst anxiety from many of the Big Blue Nation, the Kentucky basketball program has added another player to the roster. On Friday Lamont Butler, a consensus top-60 transfer from San Diego State, committed to Kentucky, reported by On3.

Kentucky has been in contact with Butler since he entered the portal earlier this week. On Friday morning, four members of the Kentucky staff took a visit to Las Vegas, which we know now was to see Butler. It was enough to secure his commitment.

Coming out of a high school as a three-star prospect, Butler has been a true case of development. In four seasons with San Diego State, he improved his numbers year after year. As a three-year starter for the Aztecs, Butler averaged 7.7 points (41.2% FG), 2.6 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. He also received Mountain West All-Defense honors three straight seasons, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this past year.

Butler was a star for the San Diego State team that made it to the National Championship game in 2023, even hitting the buzzer-beater to send them to the title game. He will provide Kentucky with proven experience and the knowledge of what it takes to win.

As his defensive accolades show, Butler makes his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball. However, he plays well within a system and is a really good passer for a guard who plays primarily off the ball, with a 21 percent assist rate. He also grades fairly well analytically on spot-up shots and in pick-and-roll situations as the ball handler.

With Butler on the roster, there are still many spots to fill, especially some spots for “dudes”. Fortunately, many big names are expected to be in Lexington this weekend for the visit.